Phil Jagielka

Sheffield United

Jagielka made his way through the youth ranks at Sheffield United before making his first-team debut on 5 May 2000 against Swindon Town in the final First Division match of the 1999–2000 season, whilst still a trainee. He was rewarded with a professional contract the following day and having progressed well at the start of the following season, he signed a three-year deal with the club in January 2001. He established himself in the Sheffield United first-team in the 2002–03 season and started to attract the attention of other clubs, including Leeds United, who were linked with a £6 million joint bid for Jagielka and United teammate Michael Brown, but Sheffield United said they would resist any attempts to sign the players. Jagielka stated in April 2005 he was happy to stay at United, despite several Premier League clubs being interested in signing him. United manager Neil Warnock told West Ham United in June 2005 that Jagielka would not be sold, and in July Wigan Athletic made a £4 million bid for Jagielka, after which United upped their valuation of him. By November, Jagielka had been linked with a £4 million move to Bolton Wanderers, but United manager Neil Warnock said there had been no contact from Bolton. Jagielka signed a new three-year deal with United in August 2006. He played as team captain in Chris Morgan's absence. Jagielka gave United their first Premier League victory since April 1994 when he hit a 91st minute half-volley against…

Jagielka is a former member of the England under-21 team, and scored in a 2–0 victory over Slovakia at the Stadium of Light in June 2003. On 10 May 2007, Jagielka was named in the England B team for the first time, for their match against Albania. Starting on the bench, he replaced Phil Neville at right back at the beginning of the second half. On 11 May 2008, Jagielka was named in the senior England squad for the first time for the friendlies with United States and Trinidad and Tobago. He subsequently expressed his delight at the call up and publicly thanked everyone at Everton for their help. On 1 June 2008, Jagielka got his first international cap for the senior team against Trinidad and Tobago, playing the second half of a match in which England used two different sides for each half. Jagielka was once again named in the England squad for the friendly match against European champions Spain, 11 February 2009, and subsequently played for the first 45 minutes, after an impressive string of performances at club level publicly praised by manager David Moyes after the FA Cup fourth round replay tie between Everton and Liverpool. Jagielka received his fourth cap when he played in England's first post 2010 FIFA World Cup friendly against Hungary on 11 August 2010 at Wembley Stadium where he scored an own goal to put the visitors ahead in a 2–1 England win. On 3 September 2010, Jagielka made his first competitive start, and played for the entirety of the match in a 4–0 win over…

Jagielka was born in Sale, Greater Manchester, and attended Knutsford Academy. He played for Holy Family Football Club, a Sunday team affiliated with, although not directly linked to, the school of the same name, from the ages of eight to 11. He played as a right winger, as he possessed great pace, and played in matches against boys of the school year older than him. He first impressed youth scouts whilst playing for his local team Hale Barns United in Altrincham. He predominantly played midfield during his time with the club and also played for his school team, Moorlands Junior School. He was at the academy of Everton as a youngster and spent time training with clubs such as Stoke City and Manchester City, before joining Sheffield United in 1998 at 15 years of age.

Jagielka is of Polish and Scottish descent. His brother, Steve, who died in 2021, was also a professional midfielder, mainly for Shrewsbury Town. Although he was loaned to Sheffield United for one season, the pair never featured together in a competitive fixture. Phil's son, Zac, plays for Hull City U18s and Wales U17s. In September 2009, Jagielka's home in Knutsford was targeted by armed robbers who held Jagielka at knifepoint while they burgled him.